Belgrade opens murder probe over woman's body in suitcase
Prosecutors in Belgrade have ordered an investigation into K. E. (24), a Turkish national, over the aggravated murder of a Russian woman whose body was dumped in the Vizelj canal in a suitcase.
The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has questioned K. E. (24), a Turkish national, and issued an order to open an investigation into the aggravated murder of a Russian woman identified only as T. Lj. K. Prosecutors say the killing took place on July 26, 2026 in a flat in Belgrade’s Palilula municipality, and that the body was carried out of the building in a travel suitcase and dumped in the Vizelj water canal.
Questioned by prosecutors, the suspect denied committing the offence he is charged with.
What the investigation order says
According to the order, K. E. lured T. Lj. K. to the flat and the two walked in together at around 5:30 a.m. The document states she had no reason to expect he would harm her.
Within an hour of her arrival, prosecutors suspect, he wrapped a piece of clothing around her neck and strangled her. She died at the scene, the investigation says.
How did the suitcase end up in the Vizelj canal?
The body was then placed in a travel suitcase, according to the prosecution. The suitcase was carried out of the flat at around 6:55 a.m., a little over 90 minutes after the woman walked in.
From there it was dumped in the Vizelj water canal near Borca, where it was later found. Until now, that discovery was the only part of the case officially confirmed.
Why prosecutors want him held
The office has asked the pre-trial judge to order custody on four grounds:
- risk of flight
- possible influence on witnesses
- risk of reoffending
- public disquiet
K. E. is charged with aggravated murder. He remains a suspect until a final verdict, and guilt is established in court, not in a prosecution filing.
What was known before
We reported in late July on the body found in a suitcase in the canal near Borca and on the arrest of a Turkish national. At that point only the discovery and the arrest were public, with no official classification of the offence, no timeline and no word on how the suspect was answering the allegations.
The investigation order is the first time the prosecution has publicly set out when the woman arrived at the flat, how she is suspected to have been killed and the fact that the suspect denies it. Earlier reports on the arrest gave a different age for him; the prosecution lists him as K. E. (24).
The woman’s full name and age were not released in the statement, so we are not publishing them either. The decision on custody rests with the pre-trial judge.
